Newsletter
IN ISSUE ONE
‘WOW 10 Years Old!’ ‘Because We Deserve It’ ‘A Time of Change’ Big Interview: Jason Melia Hello and welcome to the first issue of Survivors Manchester’s new newsletter! Every three months we will be publishing our newsletter, our opportunity to give a voice to all those that are a part of the Survivors Manchester family, whether that be staff, board members, friends of Survivors Manchester or individuals who have used our services. The theme of our first issue is introductions. Not only have staff members contributed, but the chairs of both our Expert Advisory Panel and our Board of Trustees have also written articles introducing you to the work we do here at Survivors Manchester.
Finally I wanted to say a huge Happy Birthday to Survivors Manchester. We are now 10 years old and to think what has been achieved in this, our first decade, is quite incredible. Who knows what can be achieved in the next 10 years! Thank you for picking up a copy of our newsletter and I hope you enjoy. If you have any comments, feedback, or want to contribute, then please be in touch at info@survivorsmanchester.org.uk. Thomas Waring Editor
We are
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Survivors Manchester is celebrating it’s 10th birthday!
WOW 10 Years Old! Craig Harris Chair of the Board of Trustees WOW 10 years old! This is by no means an easy milestone in the charitable sector especially weathering the storm of austerity, battling a recession & fighting to be heard, but we did it! We reached the ripe age of 10 and we only now look back to see how far we have come! Change is constant, change is inevitable but managing change can make or break an organisation. This amazing charity I am proud to be a part of has adapted, grown and thrived like a flower finding life through a concrete road. I have watched as this charity has tackled some of the most challenging, complex, sensitive and often heart breaking issues life can throw at us. It stands strong, whilst showing care and understanding. Within the charity there is a reservoir of kindness and compassion that each and every survivor benefits from. With fierce organisational development skills and giant ambition, our charity will not remain silent and will always fight for the injustice so many have suffered.
Since opening the doors in 2009 we have experienced a 30% annual increase in requests for support and access to our services.
From building a sound, sustainable business, delivery high quality care and interventions to storming the national and international stage for all survivors, Survivors Manchester has gone from strength to strength. A survivor led organisation with a Chief Exec whose determination, passion and fight for what’s right is known around the globe! This is no longer a small, unfunded organisation unsure of its future, it has a seat at the strategic table, shaping policy and influencing the national decision makers. 10 years on, after supporting thousands of survivors to #breakthesilence, Survivors Manchester has worked across criminal justice settings, prison and institutional settings, co-developed the Male Survivors Partnership and led the way on delivering IAPT services for survivors, as well as delivering groups and providing 121 support for male survivors. We have a strong, experienced and skilled staff team and a diverse board of trustees that have gone on this journey, all to secure a future for the organisation. The measure of success is not how big the bank balance is or how plush the offices are, it’s about the difference you can make to the life of a survivor, the impact you can have supporting survivors and their families, the change in direction you can initiate by making sure the voice of survivors is heard and by staying true and authentic to the values and principle we hold dearly in supporting all male survivors. So to see how far we have come and what we have achieved in the last 10 years is amazing, but to think of what we can achieve in the next years not only excites me but frightens me. Our next achievements will be of cosmic proportions!
Our IAPT compliant trauma therapy service has clocked up 132,990 hours of therapy since 2015.
In 2015, we became the first male survivor specific IAPT service in the UK and since then, 2132 sessions have been attended by male survivors.
10 Years of Survivors Manchester - Because We Deserve It Chris Whitehead-Baines Client Services Lead and Trauma Informed Therapist As we celebrate our tenth year of providing support to male survivors, it is important to remember why we are needed, and why we must continue to provide our services in the future. One thing I get asked a lot is why we focus on support for male survivors? Many male survivors, including myself, have somehow managed to fight through the barriers men face to understand our own feelings, admit we are struggling, and take the really big step of asking for help. In a world where we are taught that men should just deal with stuff, asking for help really goes against the grain. Imagine finding the strength to ask for help and being told you can’t access support because you are a man. That you can’t enter this safe space because as a man you would make it unsafe. That professionals don’t know how to help you. These are some of the responses many of us have encountered over the years. When we do get into a support service, after baring our souls and telling someone about our experiences, we are often seen as too complex for general mental health services and signposted somewhere else where the process has to start all over again. Sadly I speak to men who have had assessments for support in the double figures and have still not had any lasting, safe, and appropriate support.
A Time of Change Carl Turner Trauma Informed Therapist 13th August 2018 is the day I officially started work at Survivors Manchester. Prior to starting at Survivors Manchester I worked in the same field, sexual violence, as a therapist within a service based in Preston. Therefore, owing to working in the same field I had some awareness of the work Survivors Manchester was doing prior to joining the team; I knew that they were the trailblazers in supporting male survivors of sexual violence. So, when I saw that they had advertised for new therapists, I knew I had to apply.
This is in part due to a lack of awareness and understanding. For other people to see men, and for us to see ourselves, as victims of sexual abuse, rape or sexual exploitation doesn’t align with the stereotype of masculinity. Sadly it is easier for our collective unconscious to assign the role of perpetrator to males, and victim to females. This rigid thinking does a huge disservice to us all. It is fair to say that services that support female survivors have been around for a long time. This is vital work which we support and long may it continue. But the lack of services that support men has added to the misconception that men can’t experience sexual violence. If support doesn’t exist, men won’t feel worthy of the support. We need to see and hear of men reaching out and accessing the right support to help us believe it’s okay to do it ourselves. Breaking down stereotypes is a vital part of our work. Concepts of strength and vulnerability pose an issue for many men. The idea of being seen as vulnerable is scary for a lot of men and particularly hard for survivors. It can make us feel exposed, at risk, and unsafe which can mirror how we felt in the past. The ability to show vulnerability in a safe space is actually a huge strength. Strength is often seen as a physical attribute, or when we do consider psychological strength, we see not needing help as being strong. For any of us that have ever reached out for help, it is easy for us to see how wrong that is. It takes a tremendous amount of strength and courage to admit we are not okay. This kind of strength, which I am privileged to witness every day, truly inspires me. We are needed because we create spaces that are specifically for men, where in time, men can feel safe, secure, heard, believed and understood. We are needed because we are a survivor led organisation and the needs of male survivors drive everything that we do. We are needed to show men they have a space just for them, that they don’t have to feel excluded, not good enough, or unworthy. We have created Survivors Manchester and will continue to do our vital work because as male survivors, we deserve it.
warm, friendly, safe and welcoming environment that I, as a member of staff, felt from my first day at the organisation. The way I felt on my fist day a Survivors Manchester is often echoed back to me by clients, their family members and also contractors who have commented on how they feel at home at Survivors Manchester and this is no doubt owing to the amazing people who work here. One of the biggest changes I have seen whilst working here is the burgeoning demand on the service. I have seen boom periods of referrals into the service, following the aftermath of the Coronation Street story line, the Hollyoaks story line and the Michael Jackson documentary. I guess unlike ever before the spotlight has been placed on males who have been impacted by sexual violence. This has led, I feel, to busting some of the cultural myths surrounding sexual violence. As a result we are explicitly supporting those males who may have not otherwise broken their silence, empowering them to realise that no matter your sexual orientation, race or religion you can be impacted by sexual violence and this does not mean you are less of a man.
My time here so far has seen the organisation go through some big and exciting changes. For example, moving to a new premises - while the old building on Chapel Street served us well, the ever growing demand on the service meant that the building was seemingly no longer fit for purpose. So, like the hermit crab that seeks a more suitable shell when it has grown to capacity in its current one, we upgraded our shell and we are now at Deva City Office Park.
Survivors Manchester has taken these changes in its stride, maintaining its professionalism and never losing sight of its aim: to support male survivors. Third sector organisations like Survivors Manchester are the hidden jewels in our society, often making up the shortfall of government health care provisions running at stretched capacity, but always finding new innovative ways to support more people. Therefore, if third sector organisations are the hidden jewels, then Survivors Manchester is the shiniest jewel of all. Here’s to another 10 years!
Our new home is modern, functional and is busting at the seams with personality. One of the things that was thankfully not lost in the move was the
Look out on our Twitter @SurvivorsMcr for #CarlsMindfulnessTips, where Carl provides hints and tips on how to feel calmer, more relaxed and more mindful.
The Big Interview with Jason Melia Jason Melia is the Chair of our Expert Advisory Panel (EAP): a panel of individuals who have used our services that give their opinions, advice and guidance on how we can continue to meet male survivor’s needs. Jason kindly put aside some time to answer a few questions about what the Expert Advisory Panel does, and what Jason’s role is within it. Thanks Jason!
What work do you do in your role as Chair of the EAP? It’s a difficult question really. My role currently is to chair the meeting but also develop a culture within the panel that puts us at the forefront of panels within our sector thus giving us a strong voice that shouts out loudly: we not only care about people who have experienced sexual abuse but are also approachable for comments and viewpoints. It’s early days and the panel is growing but we have a great set of people that makes my job as chair fairly easy and enjoyable.
What would you like to achieve as chair of the EAP? Firstly I must say I feel really privileged to be the chair of the EAP within such an important organisation in Survivors Manchester. My initial aim is to simply give the panel an identity recognised by similar groups, I believe we’ve got a fully committed panel but I’d like to build on this by adding some diversity so that we can give a rounded voice/opinion on important issues and discussions. Ideally my aim is to have between 10
ADDRESS
Survivors Manchester Unit 9 Brewery Yard, Trinity Way, Salford, M3 7BB
and 12 members on the panel giving us lots of viewpoints on different issues so that our voice is clear and supportive to people that have been through difficult times and also to people who may not have shared their experiences yet.
How do you think an Expert Advisory Panel, made up of people who have accessed our services, helps an organisation like Survivors Manchester? Another interesting question and I feel that as the panel grows it will become an integral part of charities such as Survivors Manchester. My personal belief is that by having a panel of people who have accessed the services of Survivors Manchester you automatically have a set of people that really care about the service and what the service delivers to people who are yet to access the charity. Interested about joining the EAP? Then email EAP@survivorsmanchester.org.uk and ask for more information.
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